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Season 45 Premiere Preview! Plus How Things Have Changed in 45 Years of MotorWeek

MotorWeek Sep 05, 2025

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About this episode

Celebrating the 45th season of MotorWeek, host John Davis and a panel of veteran producers reflect on the show's legacy and evolution over the decades. They share personal anecdotes about their journeys in automotive journalism, discuss the latest vehicles like the Ferrari Roma Spider and the new Toyota 4Runner, and highlight significant changes in car technology and production. The episode also touches on the current trends in the used car market, emphasizing the cyclical nature of pricing and consumer behavior.

Topics: motorweek history automotive journalism vehicle technology used car market trends ferrari roma spider toyota 4runner production changes internship experiences car enthusiast culture

Cars: Chevrolet Corvette Chevrolet Suburban Dodge Viper Ferrari 360 Ferrari 550 Maranello Ferrari Portofino Ford Mustang Honda Passport Mazda MX-5 / Miata Mercedes-Benz S-Class Pontiac Fiero Porsche 924 Subaru Solterra Toyota 4Runner Toyota Land Cruiser

In Podcast #360, John Davis and the MotorWeek crew preview the premiere of Season 45! That’s right, MotorWeek has been on the air for 45 years. So we brought some of our most tenured staffers together to give you a behind-the-scenes look at the evolution of the show along with their favorite memories. Once we’re done reminiscing, we chat about our recent time in the drop-trop version of the Ferrari Roma grand tourer. Then, we dive into our two weeks with the 6th-generation Toyota 4Runner. The Lightning Round discusses the uptick in used car prices and what might reverse that trend.

Technical Too Afraid to Ask

IFCAR (Public domain)

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Toyota 4Runner

"...much talked about and long-awaited all-new Toyota 4Runner. But first, we thought we'd talk a little bit abo..."

OWS Photography (CC BY 4.0)

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Chevrolet Suburban

"...101, the opening shot is the follow shot from the suburban of an escort wagon. It's a two and a half minute ..."

Dinkun Chen (CC BY-SA 4.0)

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Mercedes-Benz Sclass

"It's a lot of both. I actually remember in 1998, I was on a Mercedes S-Class launch in Germany."

Calreyn88 (CC BY-SA 4.0)

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Ferrari 360

"... factory for a Ferrari event. It was for the 2000 Ferrari 360 Modenda. And we spent all day on the track."

Calreyn88 (CC BY-SA 4.0)

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Ferrari 550 Maranello

"...s was a died and gone to heaven moment. Yeah, the 550 Maranello. So we're on the track, spending a half a day."

Matti Blume (CC BY-SA)

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Chevrolet Corvette

"One was, I think, 1990. It was when the Corvette ZR1 first became a actual model"

ArildV (CC BY-SA 4.0)

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Dodge Viper

"...so in the early nineties around 93 when the Dodge Viper came to be the first RT-10. The Dodge Viper, in c..."

MartinHansV (Public domain)

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Pontiac Fiero

"...entioned Lisa Barrow. Lisa Barrow drove a Pontiac Fiero. And I said, wow, that's a sports car."

Hans-Jürgen Neubert (CC BY 4.0)

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Ford Mustang

"... things and that's what happened. And Craig had a Mustang and Joyce Braga drove a Porsche 924."

Ermell (CC BY-SA 4.0)

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Porsche 924

"...aig had a Mustang and Joyce Braga drove a Porsche 924. Porsche, Joyce Braga who was our first news repo..."

IFCAR (Public domain)

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Honda Passport

"Digitized. I dug up the first Honda Passport test we did with actually a rebadged Asuzu radio"

Matti Blume (CC BY-SA 4.0)

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Ferrari Portofino

"...ds off the show. It's the drop top version of the Portofino Coupe which arrived back in 2017."

UltraTech66 (CC BY-SA 4.0)

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Subaru Solterra

"...e going away here shortly on an EV lease. I got a Solterra, which is the exact long-term we have now, but I ..."

MercurySable99 (CC BY-SA 4.0)

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Mazda MX-5 / Miata

"... didn't want. It was, I inherited after I sold my Miata, and I'm just like, I need something,"

CEphoto, Uwe Aranas (CC BY-SA 3.0)

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Toyota Land Cruiser

"I don't think it really steps on the toes of the Land Cruiser that they came out with. I think they do separate..."

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